Staff system and apparatus for controlling traffic on single-line railways.



PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

E. W..SMITH.

STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC 0N SINGLE LINERAILWAYS.

APPLI ATION FILED MAY 31. 1904.

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STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC 0N SINGLE LINERAILWAYS.

APPLIGA'IIILQN FILED MAY 31, 1904. N0 M01351 a SHBETS-SBBET 2.

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No. 776.207. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

B. w. SMITH.

STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC 0N SINGLE. LINERAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31. 1904. NO MODEL. 5 a snnn'rssnnzzw a.

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E. W. SMITH.

STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOROONTROLLING TRAFFIC ON SINGLE LINERAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1904.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

E. W. SMITH.

STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC ON SINGLE LINERAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAYBI, 1904.

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PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

3. w. SMITH. STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC 0NSINGLE LINE RAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION'IILED MAY 31, 1904.

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ISTAPF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC 0N SINGLE LINERAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3 .1904. N0 MODBL. a sums-sum '1.

PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

E. W. SMITH. STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC ONSINGLE LINE RAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION FILEDMAY a1. 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented November 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

STAFF SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRAFFIC 0N SINGLE-LINERAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 776,207, dated November29, 1904.

Application filed May 31, 1904.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD VVYTHE SMITH, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at 66 College street, Chelsea, in thecounty of London,England,(whose postoffice address is 66 College street,Chelsea, in the county of London,England,) have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in and Relating to Staff Systems and Apparatus forControlling Traflic on Single-Line Railways; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

With the staff apparatus now in general use it is necessary for thedriver to stop or reduce the speed of the train considerably in order toexchange staffs.

The present invention consists in a staff instrument and staffs whichare much smaller and the staffs consequently much lighter than those nowin general use, so that the staffs can bemore readily exchanged when atrain is in motion and running at a high speed.

Further, the apparatus, according to this invention, comprises, first,means for preventing a staff being wrongly placed in an instrument;second, means for preventing the staff or stafls being illegitimatelywithdrawn from an instrument; third, means for preventing a staffbelonging to an instrument relating to a certain section of the railwaybeing placed in an instrument relating to another section; fourth,indicator mechanism for indicating whether the block-section is occupiedby a train or not and, in addition, indicating the departure of a trainin the direction from the station, and, fifth, apparatus whereby anintermediate station or block-section may be closed when desired, thusconverting two short sections into one longer one.

Finally, theinvention comprises the arrangement or combination of parts,details of construction, and the features as hereinafter fully describedand more particularly set forth in the statement of claims.

The apparatus, according to this invention, provides greater securityagainst unauthorized or incorrect manipulation and at the Serial No.210,607. (No model.)

same time provides increased efiiciency in the working of the traffic onthe railway. The instruments and staffs employed with this apparatus areless than half the size of those now generally in use.

In general principle the staff instruments according to this inventionare similar to the wellknown Webb & Thompson apparatus as now generallyin use, the several disks and the means for locking same being alsosimilar in general arrangement and working to those of the well-knowninstruments.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the apparatus comprising myinvention.

Figure 1 is a half-front elevation and halfsection of the staffinstrument. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the head of the instrument,showing the mechanism as hereinafter described. Fig. 3 is a view of theelectromagnet and its lever, together with the lockinglever controlledby the magnet, and shows the means for lifting the locking-lever whenthe magnet is energized by a current sent by the signalman at thesection in advance. Fig. i is an end view of Fig. 3 looking in thedirection of the arrow. F ig. 5 is a transverse section of the head ofthe instrument, taken on line A B, Figs. 1 and 2, showing the disks insection, the remaining mechanism having been removed. Figs. 6 and 7 arerespectively a front elevation andplan view of one of the disks employedaccording to this invention. Fig. Sis a part side elevation and partsection; and Fig. 9, a back view, partly in section, of the receptacleor apparatus fixed at an intermediate station. This instrument isarranged to hold two staffs corresponding to the shorter section whenthe instruments relating to the longer section are in use and to hold astaff corresponding to the longer section when the shorter sectioninstruments are in use. Fig.

10 is a front view of one of the disks and of circuit-wires, terminals,contact-makers, and contacts. Fig. 14 is a part section of Fig. 2 takenon line X X, showing additional or alternative means (hereinafterdescribed) for preventing staffs being wrongly placed in an instrument.

The same characters indicate corresponding parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the opening in the head of theinstrument through which the staffs are inserted in and withdrawn fromthe instrument, 2, Fig. 1, being the curved passage connecting with 1and leading into the magazine 3. 4 represents thecompartments orchambers of the magazine for containing the staflts, said compartmentsbeing separated by partitions 5. 6 is the spindle or shaft on which thedisks revolve, 7 the spindle on which the several mechanicallocking-pawls as well as the electrically-controlled lockinglever 8 andelectromagnet-lever 9 (see Fig. 2) turn, and 10 is a pin or spindle onwhich the safety-lever turns. The electromagnet-lever 9, as shown inFigs. 2, 3, and 4, is provided with four arms extending from the centeror boss on which it turns, the two upwardlyprojecting arms supportingthe electromagnet device. 9 is a rectangular head or plate provided orformed on the right-hand upright arm of lever 9, and said plate has twoprojecting lugs 11 12, on the outer ends of which is screwed orotherwise fixed a bridge-piece 13. 14 is a projection or shelf on lever9, forming an additional support for the electromagnet. The safety-lever15 is provided in order to prevent the illegitimate withdrawal of astaff from the instrument by jerking the staff or otherwise whenpermission has not been given by the signalman in the cabin in advancesending the necessary electric current. 16 and 17 are arms orprojections on safetylever 15, adapted to engage the pin or projec tion18 on locking-lever 8. 19 is the open space between the arms 16Yand 17for the pin 18 to pass through when the staff is to be withdrawn bysanction given from the cabin in advance. 20 is another arm orprojection on safety-lever 15, engaging the arm 16 of theelectromagnet-lever 9. 21 is the lockingdisk of the well-known form,which is controlledthat is to say, locked and released* through theaction of the Signalman of the section in advance by the electromagnetdevice 22. mounted on the lever 9. This electromagnetic device consistsof a combination of an electromagnet and a permanent magnet or magnets.22 is the electromagnet-coil, and 23 represents permanent magnets. 22and 22 are the poles of the electromagnet, and 23 and 23 poles of thepermanent magnets. The permanent magnets are attached to the lefthandupright arm of lever 9, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, by screws or otherwise, andsaid magnets are also similarly attached to the head or plate 9, towhich plate the pole-pieces 22 22 of the electromagnet are alsoattached. 24 is an armature supported by a non-magnetic piece 25, Fig.4, carried on a spindle 26. The spindle 26 is supported at one end byplate 9 and at its other end by the bridge-piece 13. 27 is a hook fixedon spindle 26 and counterbalanced at 28, said hook being adapted toengage the hook 29, attached to the lockinglever 8 when a current passesthrough the electromagnet-coil 22 in the correct direction. When theelectromagnet is thus energized, the armature 24 will by means of thespindle 26 cause the hook 27 to move until on raising the lever 9, ashereinafter described, hook 27 will engage hook 29, so that on thefurther movement of lever 9 the locking-lever 8 will be raised free ofthe disk 21, which is thus unlocked, through the piece or projection 8being lifted clear of the extreme edge of the disk. In the normalcondition when there is no current flowing 27 is held by thecounterbalance 28 away from the hook 29, as shown in Fig. 4. On disk 21are provided pins 30, Fig. 2, and on the safety-lever 15 a projection 31is provided, whereby should the safety-lever through any cause remain upafter having been moved during the withdrawal of a stalf from theinstrument when the disk 21 is further turned by the withdrawal of thestaff from the instrument the pins or one of them will engage projection31, and so force the lever 15 down into the normal position, as shown.32 is a link connecting the safety-lever 15 with the cam 33, whichoperates the commutator-lever 34, which latter may be of the known orany convenient form.

The lower ends of levers 8 and 9 bear on a shelf or projection in thehead of the instrument-casing, as shown in Fig. 2.,

35, 36, 37, and 38, Fig. 5, are the disks provided with four recesseswith which the usual locking pawls or levers adapted to be actuated bythe withdrawal of a stafi from and its insertion in the instrumentengage, the levers or pawls being disengaged from said recesses by theaction of withdrawing or inserting a staff.

In the staff instruments hitherto employed guards have been provided onthe exterior of the head of the instrument and a fifth ring provided oneach staff, which ring is adapted to engage a groove or slot in theguard, the position of said ring on the staffs and of the slots in theguards being varied in difierent instruments in order to prevent a staffbeing wrongly placed in an instrument or to prevent staffs belonging toone instrument being inserted in another.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7, 39 represents grooves or recesses in the usualnotches in one of the disks 36 (such recesses may be provided in morethan one disk, if desired) with which the staff engages, said recessesbeing adapted to receive the enlargement 40 on the staff, as shown inFig. 12. 41, 42, 43, 44, and indicate other positions in which theenlargement may be provided on the staff, the position of suchenlargement being varied in connection with different instruments and ofcourse the position of the recesses 39 being also varied, either on thedisk or said recesses being provided in a different disk, thus insuringthat the staff cannot be inserted in an. instrument to which it does notbelong. For instance, if a projection is provided on the staff at theposition indicated by No. 41 instead of the projection the recesseswould be provided in disk 35, Fig. 5, or if in position 42 the recesses39 in disk 36, Fig. 5, would be on the opposite side of the disk to thatshown, A convenient arrangement is to provide two projections on thestaff, such as the one marked 40, and another at the position marked44:, Fig. 12. In this case recesses 39 would be provided in theright-handside of disk 37 in addition to those in disk 36. This providesa very simple means of varying instruments for different sections, as tomake one instrument different from another (so that the staffs of onecannot be inserted in the other) it will only be necessary to invert thedisk 36 or 37 on their supporting spindle or center. It will be readilyunderstood that the variation of instruments in this manner may beenlarged upon. For the purpose just described the disks are preferablymade separate and threaded onto the spindle 6, Fig. 2, instead of beingformed together with a commonboss or center, as shown in Fig. 5. As analternative or additional means of preventing a staff belonging to aninstrument of one section being placed in an instrument of a section towhich it does not apply the distance between the rings on staffs andbetween the disks of the instruments of such sections can be varied.

Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, which show the special instrument providedat an intermediate station for use when such station is cut out and theworking is over the longer section, the apparatus consists of acast-iron or other boX containing three drawers 7 4E, 75, and 76. Staffsrelating to the shorter sections can only be placed in drawers 7 t and76,0wing to the projections on said staffs (similar to projection 40,Fig. 12) being formed or arranged on the staff in different positions tothe projections on the longer section-staff. (Shown in dotted lines indrawer 75, Fig. 9.) 77, 78, and 7 9, Fig. 9, are recesses formed in partof the box or apparatus casing, said recesses being formed in variouspositions in difierent instruments to accommodate the differentpositions of the above-mentioned projections on the staffs relating todifferent sections of the railway or to train movements in differentdirections, thus insuring that only the proper stafl can be inserted inthe drawer intended to receive it. 80, Fig. 8, represents side plates orparts of the drawers and work in suitable guideways or supports in thebox or apparatus casing. 81 represents fixed projections 1 P. or partsof the box 111 which the recesses l l, (8, and 79 are formed. 82represents the openings through which the staffs are inserted. Staffscan only be taken from and put into the drawers when the drawers are inthe forward positions. (Sec drawers 7% and 76, Fig. 8.) This is providedfor by means of the pawls or catches 83, which are pivoted on theinstrument box or casing. The pawls 83, as shown, are in engagement withdrawer and prevent it being moved to allow the staff in said drawer tobe taken out until the drawers 74: and 7 6 are moved back (toward theleft) by means of staffs inserted therein. When drawers 74c and 76 aremoved back, the stafi in drawer 75 can be withdrawn, as said drawerswill then be clear of the pawls 83, thus allowing drawer 75 to be movedforward into line with opening 82, through which the staff can bewithdrawn. 84 represents levers pivoted in the casing or box. There arefour of such levers for each drawer, two on each side and at each end ofthe drawer. These levers prevent the drawers beingpushed back withoutthe insertion of a proper staff. The rings or keys 7 O, 71, 7 2, and 73on the staffs must engage the ends 85 of lovers ea; otherwise saidlevers will not be lifted, and when the drawer has moved a shortdistance the shoulders 86 on said levers will engage the drawer (theends 85 of the levers moving down) and prevent its further movement,whereby (assuming drawer 74 to be the one in question) said drawer willremain in engagement with pawl 83, which pawl is thus retained inengagement with drawer 75, looking it in the position shown andpreventing the withdrawal of the staff therefrom. If all the drawers arepushed back to the position of drawer 75, Fig. 9, then the action ofpulling forward drawer 75 to Withdraw the staff will actuate the pawls83, so as to engage drawers 7 4i and 76 and lock them in a similarmanner to that previously described with reference to the locking ofdrawer 75, said pawls engaging the drawers 74 and 7 Get the partindicated by the number 87 in Fig. 8.

For cutting out an intermediate station the method of working is asfollows: Assuming three stations X Y Z, Y being the station to be cutout, thus making the section from X to Z, there is provided, as usual,an additional staff instrument at X andZ, forming the pair ofinstruments for working through from X to Z when Y is cutout, saidadditional in? struments being connected by a direct linewire. Now letit be supposed that station Y is open for the normalshort sectionworking. Under these circumstances a staff belonging to the section XZwill be in the middle drawer 75, Figs. 8 and 9. Thelast train proceedingfrom X to Z with Y open or working as an intermediate station willproceed with a staff of the section XY as far as Y. Y then asks Z (bythe usual signal-code) for a staff of the section YZ, so as to enablehim to close his station and work the train. Z gives permission to thesignalman at Y, who then withdraws a staff, which he places in drawer74, Figs. 8 and 9, and on the arrival of the train from X he will placethe staff brought by the train in the drawer 76. He can then remove thestaff of section XZ from drawer 7 5, as previously described. This stafihe will give to the train as its authority to proceed on to Z, and hewill report his station closed to X and Z and working will thenceforward proceed direct between X and Z.

To reopen station Y, when the first train arrives at Y the staffbelonging to section XZ is placed in the drawer 75, Figs. 8 and 9, andthe other two staffs in drawers 74 and 76 are withdrawn. One of thesestaffs is given as the authority for the train to proceed and the otheris to be placed in the staff instrument it belongs to. At the same timeY will advise by a prearranged code on the bells X and Z that the cabinis open.

With this invention no special or additional line-wire is required forthe purpose of cutting out an intermediate station, the only electriccurrent employed in connection with cutting out a station being for thebell-code signals worked by the ordinary line-wires. Moreover, neitherof the line-wires are interfered with, so whether the intermediatestation is open or shut X and Z can exchange signals by the bell, andthe line is available for communication by telephone. Similarly beforeopening station Ythe lines XY and YZ are available for communicationbetween Y and X or Z. Again, the operator need not reside at Y, but mayarrive with the train opening the station and depart with the trainclosing the station, which is a considerable advantage, particularly inthe case of isolated stations, as it enables him to travel by the trainleaving his station to the next station or to a distant point on theline where his presence may be required.

Referring to Figs. 10 and 11, which show the indicator, 46 47 are thepoles of an electromagnet, and 48 49 the poles of a permanent magnet,which magnets are suitably supported in the instrument-casing. 50 is anarmature supported by non-magnetic piece 51, carried on a spindle 52.Flags 53 54, suitably attached to armature 50, are adapted to appearbehind the window 55, (shown in dotted lines,) and a flag or disk 56 isalso suitably attached to armature 50 and appears at window 57simultaneously with the appearance of flag 54 at window and indicatesthat the section of railway is clear and that the signalman may acceptanother train. The supporting-arm 58 of disk 56, which is screwed ontothe piece 51, is so formed or bent that said disk can move into positionin front of a fixed red disk 59 behind window 57 said disk 59 indicatingtrain in section or staff out of instrument, disk 59 being a sufficientdistance away from the inner edge of window 57 to allow disk 56 to movein front of it. 60 is another flag, pivoted at 61 and adapted to bemechanically operated by the lever or piece 62, whose arm 63 will act onthe end 64 of the lever or arm 65, that supports flag 60, when saidpiece or lever 62 is actuated by the action of withdrawing a staff fromthe instrument, as hereinafter described, the flag 60 then indicatingthat a train is proceeding in the direction from the station. The flag53 indicates that a train is approaching the station and flag 54 thatthe section is clear. 66 is a lever or piece pivoted on theinstrument-casing at 67, (see Figs. 10 and 11,) the upper end 68 oflever 66 being adapted to strike the piece 62 for the purpose of movingflag 60 from the position shown to behind window 55. 69 are pins orprojections on disk 35, which when said disk is revolved by the actionof withdrawinga staff from theinstrument will strike on the left-handlower end of lever 66, which lever is thus tilted so that its upper end68 strikes the part 62 of piece 62, whose arm 63 is thereby caused toact on the end 64 of lever 65, and so moves flag 60 into view behindwindow 55. 46 47 are leading-in terminals attached to yoke 50 inconnection with the electromagnets.

The indicator-electromagnet is so connected (see Fig. 13) that under thenormal conditions when all staffs are present in the instrumentscurrents received from the other station will cause the armature 50 totake up the position with the flags 54 and 56 indicating line clear.Should a staff have been withdrawn from either instrument, any currentsreceived will then pass through the indicator-magnet of the instrumentin the opposite direction and will cause the armature 50 to assume theposition shown indicating staff withdrawn or train in section. Onwithdrawing a staff from the instrument at the station sending the trainthe rotation of disk 35 at that station will, through pin 69 acting onlever 66, cause flag 60 to appear at window 55, and so gives theindication train on line going. During this action the projections onthe support of flag 60 will engage the projection 51 on armature 50 andwill move the armature, and consequently flag 53, to the window 55, flag60 being in front of flag 53. On the operator at this (sending) stationsending a current to the other station acknowledging the staff oradvising departure of the train (in the usual way) the armature 50 ofthe indicator at the station to which the train is going will revolve soas to bring flag 53 to the window 55, thus indicating train on linecoming, said flag 53 having been previously moved away from window 55(and by means of projection 51 acting on projection 65 of flag 60 saidflag is moved to the position shown) by a current sent through theindicator-magnet when the instruments are normal z'. a, with all staffsin.

Referring again to Fig. 12, 70, 71, 72, and 73 are the usual rings orkeys on the staif for actuating the locking pawls or levers (such asthose of the well-known ebb and Thompson instruments) in connection withthe disks. According to the present invention there are only the fourlifting rings or keys on each staff, and in order to prevent a staffbeing placed in an instrumentin an incorrect manner the distance orspace between the rings is difl'erent, as shown in Fig. 12. Forinstance, the distance between center of ring 70 and center of ring 71may be about threefourths of an inch, between rings 71 and 72 about oneand one-fourth inches, and between rings 72 and 73 about seven-eighthsof an inch. The distances between pairs of disks, Fig. 5, are of coursesuitably arranged to suit the position of the rings on the staff. Withthis arrangement if a staff is placed in the entrance-opening 1, Figs. 1and 2, so that the ring is to the back of the instrument instead of tothe front the stafi cannot be moved into the magazine, because the ringswill foul the disks, which will thus prevent the staff entering.

Referring to Fig. 14, Sheet 1, as an additional means for preventing astaff being wrongly placed in the instrument I provide projections 71 72in the staff -entrance 1, Figs. 1 and 2, with pieces cutout, formingrecesses 70 71 72 7 3 to allow the rings 70 7172 73 on the stafi topass. The projections 71 and 7 2 correspond in width or size to thedistances between rings 70 71 and 72 73, re spectively, so that unless astaff is properly placed in the entrance 1 it cannot be moved from thereinto the magazine.

As an alternative or additional means of preventing a stafi being putinan instrument in a wrong manner I arrange a fifth ring, 70', Fig. 12,which ring normally will pass between disk 35, Fig. 5, and the case ofthe instrument; but should the staff be put into the instrument in awrong manner this ring would foul one of the disks.

Referring to Fig. 13, 88 and 89 form the reversing-switch, which may beof the known construction and operated in the known manner forinterchanging the line and earth connections'on withdrawing andreplacing a staff in the instrument. 34 is a switch (also of knownconstruction) which is actuated by the safety-lever 21, Fig. 2, throughthe link 32 and cam 33. 91 is the generator, 92 the key, and 93 a hell.The various currents for giving the signals and operating the look atthe instrument at the far station are set up by depressing key 92 andoperating generator 91. On pressing the key 92 and operating thegenerator a current will be sent from the generator to terminal 94,contact 95, switch-lever 34, through 34 to 96, through lever 88 byterminals 97 and 98 to terminal 99, thence to line and back throughearth, through terminal 100, through terminals 101 and 102 to switch 89,thence through contacts 103 and 104 to terminal 105 and back to thegenerator. A current received from the line will pass by terminal 99 toterminals 98 97 to switch-lever 88, thence by contact 96 to switch-lever34, thence either by 95 to 94 through key 92 to the bell 93, fromterminal 106 to terminal 107, through the indicator to terminal 108, toterminal 105, to contacts 104 103, and lever 89 to earth, or, on raisinga stafi, switch-lever 34 being held over by the safety-lever 21, thecurrent will pass through said lever and by contact 109 to terminal 110and thence through the electromag net 22 to terminal 111, to terminal107,through the indicator and through terminals 108 and 105, thencetocontacts 104 and 103,and through switch-lever 89 to earth.

By the above-described arrangement of contacts and circuits should theoperator leave, a staff in the curved part 2 of the staff-entrance inthe instrument-head, Figs. 1 and 2, instead of completing the operationof putting it into ,the magazine, or, on the other hand, if he shouldpartially withdraw the stafl' and not remove it from said curved part,then on pressing the key and operating the generator no current willpass, as the safety-lever 21 will be held up by the staff in the curvedpart 2, and will thus hold switch-lever 34 over, so that contact isbroken at 95, whereby it will be impossible to send a current from astation at which a stafl has been only partially withdrawn or insertedto another station to enable the Signalman at the latter to withdraw astaff, thus preventing stafl's being withdrawn at the same time forsending trains in opposite ditions.

After one staff has been withdrawn from the instrument, the disk 38,Fig. 5, having operated the reversing-switch 89 88, the currents willpass by contacts 104 and 112 instead of by contacts 96 and 103, aspreviously described.

W hat I. claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In stafl apparatus for controlling trafiic on single-line railways,means whereby the staffsand the rotary disks in the apparatus directlycooperate for the purpose of preventing staffs being wrongly placed inan instrument, substantially as set forth.

2. In staff apparatus for controlling trafiic on single-line railways,staffs provided with enlargements and a disk or disks provided withrecesses adapted to receive said enlargements only when the properstaffs are inserted or when staffs are properly inserted in theinstrument, substantially as described with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

3. 1n stafi' apparatus for controlling trailic on single-line railways,the combination of a disk or disks provided with recesses, staffsprovided with enlargements adapted to enter said recesses, and rings orwards on the staffs so arranged that the distances between pairs ofrings are difierent, substantially as and for the purposes describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

4. 1n staff apparatus for controlling traific on single-line railways,the combination, with means whereby the staffs and the rotary disks inthe apparatus directly cooperate for the purpose of preventing staffsbeing wrongly placed in an instrument, of a safety-lever pivoted in theinstrument and preventing the illegitimate withdrawal of a stafftherefrom, substantially as set forth.

5. In staff apparatus for controlling traffic on single-line railways,the combination, with means whereby the staffs and the rotary disks inthe apparatus directly cooperate for the purpose of preventing staffsbeing wrongly placed in an instrument, of an indicator which shows thepresence of the various staffs in the apparatus, substantially as setforth.

6. In staff apparatus for controlling traffic on single-line railways,the combination, with means whereby the staffs and the rotary disks inthe apparatus directly cooperate for the purpose of preventing staffsbeing wrongly placed in an instrument, of an instrument for use incutting out intermediate stations and adapted to receive two staffsrelating to the short sections and one staff relating to the longsection, substantially as set forth.

7. In astaff apparatus for controlling traffic on single-line railways,the combination, with a magazine for the staffs, of a lever 9 pivoted inthe upper part of the said magazine, an electromagnet supported by thesaid lever, a permanent magnet also supported by the said lever, anarmature pivoted on the said lever, a hook 27 pivoted concentric withthe said armature and operated by it, and a lockinglever 8 also pivotedin the upper part of the magazine and provided with a hook 29 with whichthe said hook 27 engages when the said electromagnet is energized tomove the said armature in one direction, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

EDWVARD WVYTHE SMITH.

WVitnesses:

ARTHUR NIBLAOK, WALTER E. RocLEE.

